Unverified Voracity Wins A Mexican Standoff

Somebody earlier identified it as the UNC ram.

EDIT: It was Laser Wolf in the LSUFreek strikes post. He also says the rams name is Ramses.

Isn't it the U's duck and the Oregon Duck?

My goal of being referenced on the front page of this fine blog has finally been achieved! Although, I wish it were under happier circumstances. 

P.S. thanks for your mercy in having the points expire soon.  : )

Avoid any commentary on Fearless Leader's hirsuteness . . .

This latest TP/Sarniak stuff is over done.  The NCAA interviewed TP back in May.  If they thought it was a big deal, they would have moved the August 12th hearing and/or amended the NOA by now.  It's new to the media, but not the NCAA, and the NCAA didn't care.

Mike Hart as Michigan RB coach: "He's like Mike Hart but faster."

But I was so close to thread posting status!

EDIT: Nevermind. Figured out he's just showing mercy to the other dude.

Yo Brian, I've always wondered what the reasoning behind points expiring is. I think that keeping points rewards people who have been around for a while, and it is very unsatisfying to lose points (it can also lessen motivation to get points in the first place). What's your reasoning?

nice job Zemke.  tke legend.

Tressel ran to Sarniak, because Tressel said he knew if there was ONE person who would be helpful when 6 of his football players were in trouble (and Tressel said on ESPN he knew the trouble might result in someone possibly losing their life), Sarniak according to Tressel would do ALL the right things. I must believe Tressel. Because it is he who apparently thinks a free trip for Pyror to spring break in Miami courtesy of Sarniak is the perfect example of the ONE and ONLY Sarniak doing what is RIGHT for the safety of the entire football program's players in trouble and for his star football player who Tressel says might have been in danger of losing his life. Tressel only cared about the players; and it should be obvious to anyone with intelligence - like the NCAA Committee on Infractions. Evidence? What evidence? "It's all just circumstantial." Uh...not believable circumstances in this case are the evidence.

Pass the popcorn, please....

It should be remembered, E.G.G. (Elwood Gordon Gee) and Gene Smith were nodding approvingly in the background and said nothing when it was their turn to speak right after Tressel spoke on ESPN, (at the March news conference). They made Tressel out to be some kind of tragic hero right after Tressel spoke. EGG and GS therefore had the appearance of agreeing with Tressel's self-proclaimed tragic hero status just made for TV, and they showed they had no intention of dismissing Tressel; because they said in effect, Tressel must be thought of as such an amazingly tragic figure. Didn't they agree with Tressel who continues to say he was desperately for protecting the players in a possible life and death situation? If you say their seconding of Tressel's tragic hero status is not substantiated, then I say to you again; EGG and GS had their turn to speak on ESPN in March which they full well knew would have been the only appropriate time to correct the recorded words Tressel had just spoken to them, the press, and a national TV audience.

It was their turn right after Tressel claimed sainthood in what he (Tressel) was saying he did was for the player's sake. And wouldn't EGG and GS know Tressel had just shocked both EGG and GS, because unfortunately for them Tressel announced his own sainthood? Whereas, EGG and GS had enough facts to know Tressel was actually motivated not by a determination to preserve the players, but Tressel claimed sainthood in the face of knowing the contradiction of being able/allowed/encouraged to make Sarniak available to at least one player. It is hypocrisy for Tressel to proclaim his own sainthood when the fact is he left the situation in the hands of someone else.

EGG and GS should have followed up Tressel's claim on ESPN in March, simply by saying the obvious; how Tressel may have misspoken about the role he played, does not have all the facts, or if they wanted to be more accurate they could have said Tressel not only did not turn to the right sources, i.e. OSU; they could have said the contrary; how Tressel turned to a wrong source to help his players protect themselves from harm, and they could have added how it appears everything is in a sensitive stage they will not comment on further. Any of these tactics would have been damage control. But, EGG and GS made no such attempt at damage control.

Instead, EGG and GS stuck to a pre-arranged script which made Tressel the tragic hero who must be forgiven (even though they knew Tressel and Sarniak were joined at the hip). This speaks of the money trail as well as the attitude of the Board of Directors in their complicity by a possibly indirectly spoken threat of dominance over poor old, "helpless" EGG (or so EGG has portrayed himself to ESPN the Magazine at all costs to his reputation?). The irony of all this is, how it is completely believable when on ESPN; EGG and GS COULD NEVER HAVE SAID Tressel turned to a wrong source for help. Not because it might have raised more questions (which they would have had no obligation to answer publicly); rather they absolutely for sure know perfectly well such a statement at the time was too shocking for them to hear out of their own mouths. I will tell you part of why this is my opinion. It would have made themselves sound so preposterous to themselves due to the enormity of Tressel's improvised claims which they must have realized was shaky as an on-the-spot outlandish fabrication of Tressel's motives.

So, in March, THE Administration at OSU allowed the country to think there was a would-be protector who was placed in a very tough spot and had to act, who did act; who happened to be their saintly football coach. To them, the country did not have to know Tressel's televised live statement was in reality all about hiding the fact Sarniak was appointed as a "protector" (of what you might ask). In their thinking, what the country didn't know couldn't hurt them. But, they knew it was Sarniak appointed as protector, they knew it was not Tressel acting in the interest of the players - they only expected us to believe them how it was Tressel the tragic hero; and EGG and GS understood this is what Tressel was talking about when the rest of the world thought it was Tressel who was merely once, and once only, mistakingly thinking of himself as more of a protector of the player's interests etc., etc. while he was sure THE Administration at OSU could never hope to be as capable (and what about the sensitivity of an FBI probe Tressel lied about protecting?).

Rather, EGG and GS were not ready for impromptu revelations of this sort on live national/world-wide TV in my opinion. If just then they revealed for the public consumption via ESPN how Tressel in their opinion mistakenly had turned to a wrong source or sources during an FBI investigation, wouldn't they think it might be difficult to deal with the implication of explaining their own activity during possible interference with the FBI by their coach? When did they know Sarniak was involved, and what did they do about it? The average person might judge this to have brought them bad P.R. This is a mistake in judgment. EGG and GS were no doubt already wrestling with the meaning and eventual outcome of Tressel's impromptu savoring of his villainous disregard for what THE Administration at OSU thought or felt about the future of Tressel's claims to sainthood made on ESPN, even because the claims were made in the face of whatever facts the NCAA might know about Sarniak.

Therefore, on ESPN Tressel succeeded in making sure THE Administration at OSU was caught so off-guard, then to this day they do not think or care if the public believes Tressel's claim to sainthood is valid. Using their damage control efforts exclusively on saving Tressel's job left them unprepared but not incapacitated to deal with Tressel's claims about the safety of the football players. EGG and GS should have stood up to debunk immediately Tressel making himself out to be the hero. THE Administration at OSU is taking the tactic now of trying once again to save Sarniak's reputation; claiming Pryor's lawyer is wrong about Sarniak paying benefits to any player after the NCAA informed the university to keep Sarniak from doing so again. THE Administration at OSU allowed Tressel to paint a picture of heroism on ESPN in March they knew might become an attribute claimed for Sarniak. It is worse PR to have fooled the world in March and now be exposed for it, while they now rise to the defense of Sarniak who kept quite about Tressel's claim to sainthood, thus making it a conspiracy involving Sarniak and THE Administration at OSU to fool the world. Now, after all this; and keep in mind their sullying themselves in their attempt to save Tressel's job; THE Administration at OSU fully expects everyone to believe Pryor's lawyer should abstain from saying Sarniak made recent payments to Pryor. This is another attempt to divert blame from those who made the conditions to prosper from the bowls and wins, namely EGG and GS whom I am confident were not as ignorant about Tressel's doings as I think they expect us to believe.

Please, pass the salt...

going to eat up UMHoops? Dylan does a terrific job content-wise but he does not have Brian's voice, so I think he tries to play it more dry.

With Brian's mom... from the article.  I lol'ed.  Nothing wrong with that, hope it was a great trip, just fits the blogger in mom's basement stereotype too well.

"48 percent with $100,000 annual incomes"

sounds like we got a bunch of lawyas, cash-chuckers

Great to see the site profiled, but I take issue with the notion that MGoBlog/Brian Cook is the "future" of sports journalism for Michigan. MGoBlog is already the gold standard of sports journalism for my generation (IMO).

Completely missed the one on the ground...  that is the UNC ram. The one on the left is for sure the Oregon duck. The rest are easy to spot. My b, guys(girls?).

Why does a school called the Tar Heels have a ram for a mascot, anyway?

In the piece on Brian, he's quoted as saying, "But there are a lot of Michigan fans, and a lot of them are lawyers and engineers, and a lot of them really, really care." I'm an engineer, so I get how the blog is targeted at us with all the quantitative analysis and dorky humor, but what is the connection to Lawyers? Why did he single them out over Doctors or History majors, or any other group for that matter? ProfitGoBlue, maybe you can help me out here.

Nah, don't see it.

Now, if Brian shaved off the beard and concentrated on growing a MagnumPI-esque mustache, then he'd look like Yanni

detailing the rise of MGoBlog, called "The MGoSocialNetwork", Brian can be played by any one of a number of grungy rock stars (see thread on his hair), Greg Mattison will absolutely be played by Jerry Adler (look it up--dead ringer), and Brady Hoke will be portrayed by Chris Christie (especially if you get a photo of Gov. Christie at exactly the right angle; its eerie.)  Now all that needs to happen to complete the story is for someone to come forward and say that MGoBlog was YOUR idea and Brian stole it from you, cheating you out of billions.